When You Are The News
by KendraBC
Summary: When a young woman shows up at the newsroom one day Mac becomes the biggest news story at ACN.
1. Chapter 1

Maggie just finished a phone call with a source when she looked up and saw a young woman that she has never seen before and who appeared to be looking for someone. She was a little younger than Maggie. The young woman had brown hair passed her shoulders and she had brown eyes. She was about Mac's height but she was a little heavier. She appeared to have come from money because the bag she had was at least over five hundred dollars. Maggie stood up decided to approach her and ask if she needed help.

"Hi, I am Maggie Jordan. Can I help you with something."

The young woman looked at her startled and once she got her bearing's she studied Maggie for a moment and then answered her.

"Yes hello Maggie, I am looking for MacKenzie McHale. I was told that she works here."

"Yes Mac works here. She is the EP for News Night. But she isn't in the building at the moment. She and Will had to appear in court…"

"Because of the lawsuit that Jerry Dantana put against ACN."

"Yes, that's correct…"

"I know all about it and he won't win. Jerry Dantan won't get one dollar."

"Yeah we all try to stay confident in the fact that he won't win… Is Mac expecting you?"

Maggie waited for the young woman to respond who seemed to not really be paying attention to what she was saying. She was looking around when her eyes fell on Mac's office door.

"That's her office right there. I am going to go wait in there until she arrives."

Maggie was about to object when the young woman just walked straight to Mac's office without waiting looking back. Maggie was about to follow her when Jim approached her who was also looking towards the young woman who just went into Mac's office and shut the door behind her.

"Who's that?"

"I have no idea… She didn't tell me her name but something is oddly familiar about her. What should we do? Should we get her out of there? Should we call Mac?"

"Yeah perhaps you should try to get ahold of Mac. They should be finished by now. I am going to go see if I can get any more information about the young woman and I will try to get a name."

Jim was about to make his way towards Mac's office when Tess, Kendra, Gary, Neal, Tamara, and Jenna all gathered in front of Mac's office and tried to get a good look at the young woman inside. Neal decided to take a picture of the young woman and send it to Mac. They all started asking each other questions at once.

"Who is she?"

"What is she doing here?"

"Why is she looking for Mac?"

"Oooh I like her bag and her hair is pretty."

"Does Mac know she is here?"

"What's her name?"

It seemed that news really does travel fast. Then Don and Sloane walked into the newsroom and saw everyone gathered in front of Mac's office and decided to have a look themselves at the young woman inside Mac's office who was paying no attention to everyone gawking at her. She could obviously see and hear everything that they were doing.

…..

Will and Mac were making their way to where Lonny was parked when her phone rang. She saw it was Maggie so she slide to answer it. She let Will guide her into the back seat where he then took the seat next to her.

"Hello Maggie, tell everyone we are on our way back. We will…"

"Mac there is this young woman here looking for you. She is sitting in your office and everyone is gathering around there and trying to figure out who she is."

"Wait… what?! A young woman? Who is she? What's her name? And why is she in my office?"

"Yes a young woman. She didn't tell me her name. She just said she was looking for you and that she was going to wait in your office until you came back. She seemed very adamant."

Mac was about to answer when her phone made a dig informing her that she has received a text. She removed the phone from her ear to look down to see if it was from anyone important. It was Neal and it was picture of the young woman that was causing so much commotion at ACN. Mac couldn't believe her eyes. She knew right away who this young woman is. She never in a million years would have guessed she would ever come looking for Mac. She always thought it would be the other way around. To be honest Mac thought that she would never see her again. Mac just sat there staring at her phone with tears about to fall. She didn't even hear Will or even Maggie speaking loudly on the side of the line. Will placed his hand on Mac's to get her to look at him. Once Mac looked into Will's eyes she could see the concern. Mac gave Will an encouraging smile and then placed the phone back to her ear.

"Maggie please tell her everyone to get away from my office and for no one to approach the young woman in my office.''

"Okay…"

"Thanks. We will be there as soon as we can."

Mac hung up the phone and asked Lonny if her could drive any faster. Will wanted to ask what was going on but as if Mac could read his thoughts she took his hand and looked into his eyes.

"You will know everything soon I promise. I just need time to do something."

Will nodded and gave her hand a squeeze and looked down for a moment at his engagement on her finger. Then his eyes met Mac's once again and he smiled back at her. Once they arrived in the newsroom everyone was trying there best to remain where they were and not ask questions. Will's face also told them not to bother Mac at the moment. Mac didn't look at anyone she just made her way to her office alone and she shut the door behind her and closed the blinds. When Mac turned around the young woman was standing and looking directly into MacKenzie's eyes.

"Olivia…"

"Hello MacKenzie or should I call you mom?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much everyone for reading and writing a review! I really appreciate it! Here is the next chapter, I really hope you all like it. :)**

Olivia was sitting on a chair in Macke… her mother's office trying to block out the people gawking at her on the other side of the door when she saw her. There she was in the flesh; her mother. She made a beeline for her office to her, and as soon as the people that were standing in front of her office saw her approaching, scattered to pretend that they weren't in fact paying attention to what was happening. When Mac pushed the door to her office opened Olivia was at first stunned that her mother was actually in front of her. Olivia had thought about this moment so many times since she finally found out who her mother was. She couldn't believe she was really in front of her. Each time that Olivia had imagined this moment she would go into her mother's open arms and they would embrace each other crying tears of joy, relief, and sorrow, for all the time they lost together. But now that the moment was finally here, she wasn't sure how she felt or how her mother felt, so she went to her first instinct - defensive. Mac just fished shutting the last blind when she then turned toward Olivia. Olivia saw nothing but love and joy in her mother's eyes, but she also saw some regret. Olivia let down her defense a bit but then she built it up again by folding her arms across her chest as a subconscious way of protecting herself. Of what, she wasn't sure yet.

"Olivia…"

"Hello MacKenzie, or should I call you mom?"

Mac just stood there really not knowing how to respond, and Olivia could tell that her defense was too high, so she let it down a bit. She lowered her voice a bit and then spoke.

"Is it true? Are you really my mother?"

Of course Olivia knew it was true. She wouldn't be there if it wasn't. She was given more than enough proof that stated that MacKenzie McHale was indeed her mother, but Olivia needed to hear the words. She needed to hear her mother say the words. Mac looked into her daughter's eyes and she could tell that she knew the truth, but she needed her to confirm it. She also knew that they were both trying their best to keep their tears at bay and to stay strong. For what, she didn't know.

"Yes, it is true. I am your mother."

Olivia let out a breath that she had been holding, and relief swept across her face. Then a million things were going through her head at once. She didn't know what to do or how to feel. She wrapped her arms around herself and started to pace back and forth. Olivia felt she was about to lose it and let it all out. But it couldn't happen, not just yet. Mac watched her daughter a moment and could see that her daughter was struggling with her emotions, a feeling she knew too well. She was always better at helping others with their emotions than dealing with her own. Mac approached her daughter and lightly grabbed her shoulder. Olivia stopped her pacing, but her arms remained wrapped around herself. Mac could tell that Olivia was battling with herself with how she should feel, and she wished her daughter would just let it all out, but she knew that would take time. If Olivia were anything like her she would be stubborn and try to keep it in as long as possible. Mac rubbed her daughter's shoulder gently and then led her to sit down on the couch where she sat beside her. Olivia calmed down a bit and then decided to speak.

"Why… I mean why did you… Was it because I was sick?"

Mac was about to give an answer when the door of her office flew open and Leona Lansing came storming in. Leona gave Mac a quick glance before making her way towards Olivia and started to pull her from the couch. Both Mac and Olivia were a little stunned, and it took them awhile to understand what was happening. They were almost to the door when Olivia got her bearings and pulled herself out of Leona's grasp which caused Leona to stop in her tracks. Leona turned herself around to face an angry and hurt Olivia.

"No Grams! I know now. I know the truth and nothing you can do or say can prevent that. I know that MacKenzie is my mother."

Leona sent a glare towards Mac who stood up and made her way to stand on the side of her daughter. Leona wanted to get her granddaughter out of there; she would deal with MacKenzie McHale later.

"Olivia we are going, now."

"I said no. Every single day of my life ever since I could speak I asked you who my mother was and where she was. And never once did you give me an answer. Today, I finally got my answer and I will get my answers to the millions of other questions I have. I deserve to know, I deserve the answers. You can no longer stop me from finding them."

Leona studied her granddaughter for a second, and knew that Olivia meant every word and knew sooner or later that this day would come.

"Fine, but not here. There is an audience outside and it's bad enough they know what they think they know already. MacKenzie here has a show to produce at eight, and it will be late by the time you get done with everything. We all have had enough excitement for the day. So how about we agree to meet tomorrow for breakfast?"

Both Olivia and Mac nodded their heads in agreement.

"Okay good. I think we should have it at my apartment so there will be no audience like today. I will email you my address MacKenzie. Now Olivia, will you please come with me."

Olivia looked at her mother who just gave her an encouraging smile that she do what her grandmother said, and that everything would be okay for now. Olivia gave her mother a small smile, and then followed her grandmother out of the office.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to all who have read and reviewed! I really appreciate it! **

**I would like to explain some things: This chapter has been written as a flashback and as if a story is being told. Mac was 18 when she became pregnant with Olivia and she was 19 when she was born. The year in the present is 2012 and Mac is about to turn 41 and Olivia is 21 going to be 22. I gave Mac Emily's birthday and age. **

…

_It was the spring of 1990 and MacKenzie McHale was almost through her first year at Cambridge University. Mac had spent the entire school year in class or locked in her dorm room studying. Mac really didn't have any friends at school because she really didn't have time to make any. The only person she considered to be on friendly basis with was her roommate Jackie. Jackie was the opposite of Mac, she tended to skip class and she attended just about every party on and off campus. All year she would beg Mac to have some fun and go with her to one of the parties, but Mac would always turn her down; until one night she was fed up with a paper she was working on and she was tired of Jackie always begging her to go so she said yes. Jackie insisted that Mac wear something of hers because according to her, everything that Mac owned was dull and underwhelming. The party was in one of the suites in the dorms on the other side of campus. Once they got to the party, Jackie stayed with Mac until a guy started hitting on her so Mac found herself in a corner drinking a concoction of alcohols, strong alcohols. Mac was on her third cup when she saw him; the only guy, or rather, the only person Mac had noticed all year. He wasn't in any of her classes, but some how on her way to class or to the library she would some how see him. She wondered if he ever saw her. Mac just didn't see him; she saw him in the sense that in the few seconds she would see him she noticed every detail she could. She noticed his wavy brown hair and his brown eyes, she noticed his dimples when he smiled, she noticed his black leather jacket, and the fact that he was a rebel without a cause. If Mac wasn't as wasted as she was she would never have had the guts to go right up to him and blurt out that she thought he was some kind of hunk. He held Mac steady and flashed his dimpled smiled that she loved so much. He introduced himself and Mac realized that after months of pining for him from afar, that she never found out his name. "Andrew Lansing," he said in his American accent. Before Mac knew it she was laying on top of a bed in a dark room with Andrew on top of her. Despite his bad boy image, Andrew was rather gentle and kind with Mac. Mac had to admit she did want this moment to happen, she just wished she wasn't drunk out of her mind so she could be able to remember most of it. When it was over they both got dressed and Andrew walked Mac back to her room. Before leaving, Andrew gave Mac one last kiss and Mac went into her room and fell on her bed and didn't wake again until the next morning, when she had to battle a major hangover. Thank god it was the weekend. Mac swore that she would never let Jackie talk to her into attending another party again. Mac went on about the rest of the school year doing what she did before; attending all her classes and always studying. Mac only saw Andrew around campus a couple of times, and it was a little awkward. They would just smile at each other and be on their ways. A few weeks later, Mac started to feel queasy and dizzy. At first, Mac tried to shake it off and power her way through the day, but she had this deep feeling and she had to find out if that feeling was true. So she went to the campus's health services and her feeling turned out to be true; she was pregnant. Mac became scared and unsure of what to do. One thing she was sure about was that the baby would be born; she wasn't about to kill an innocent child because of a mistake she made. She just didn't know if she wasn't going to keep the baby or not. She promised herself until she figured it out she would keep the fact to herself, she would hide it from the people at school and her family. But there was one person she did think deserves to know and that was Andrew, the father. When Mac told Andrew he of course was freaked out ,but he promised to help Mac with any expenses she needed. That was the last time that she ever saw Andrew because a week later when he was out riding his motorcycle, a driver who wasn't paying attention hit the back of the bike sending Andrew to be thrown off his bike, killing him instantly. When Mac found out she cried for hours and hours. She cried for Andrew, for herself, and for their child. Mac went on about the next nine months distancing herself from those around her and she put more and more time into her studies. She also made sure that she attended all her doctors appointments to make sure that everything was okay. Mac never told anyone else that she was pregnant and she assumed that no one suspected. On January 3__rd__ 1991, Mac gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. As soon as Mac saw her daughter she was overcome with love and joy. She has never seen anything more precious in her life. She was head over heels in love with her daughter and she knew that she could never give her up. This amazing bundle of joy was hers and she vowed she would try to be the best mother she could to her daughter. She would do anything in her power to ensure that her daughter had the best life possible. She named her daughter Olivia Morgan. She wasn't sure yet if she should have her last name or Andrew's. She promised herself she would call her parents and tell them the news; she could only imagine what their reaction will be. She knew there would be some disappointment there but she also knew there would be love and support. Mac was fast asleep when she heard a bunch of commotion in her room. When she opened her eyes she could see two doctors and a bunch of nurses gathered around her daughter's basinet. Mac couldn't move; she knew something was terribly wrong. They were wheeling her daughter out of the room when Mac found her voice and she made a move to try to get out of her bed and follow._

"_Wait! Where are you taking my daughter? What's wrong with my baby girl?"_

_One of the nurses went back into the room and caught Mac before she fell. She informed Mac that Olivia had come down with a high fever and they needed to take her for some tests. Mac tried again to get out of the bed and go after her daughter because she needed to be with her, but the nurse gently pushed her back down. The nurse told Mac that she couldn't go because she had just given birth and she had to give the doctors time to figure out what was wrong with her daughter. Three agonizing hours later, a doctor with a grim face walked into Mac's hospital room and broke the news to her that the daughter she had just given birth to was ill, seriously ill. The doctors diagnosed Olivia with leukemia. It was going to be a very long and difficult road. The doctors gave Olivia a fifty percent chance of survival. Mac thought her heart was going to fall out of her chest. Mac told the doctors to do whatever they needed to do to ensure that her daughter survived. Soon Mac was taken to see her daughter who was being kept in a special room. Before Mac went into the room she had to put on a mask, gloves and gown so her daughter wouldn't catch any infections. Mac spent all the time she could with her daughter that she had forgotten about anything else. She had forgotten about telling her parents and about school. Mac was heading to her daughter's room when she could hear a woman at the nurses desk asking about her and her daughter. The voice was American and Mac didn't recognize it. Mac made her way to see who it was, and there standing at the nurses station was a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes; the woman looked like she came from money. The woman was also loud; she was yelling at one of the poor nurses when Mac approached her and informed her that she was the one she was looking for. She looked over Mac once before introducing herself as Leona Lansing, Andrew's mother and Olivia's grandmother. Leona explained to Mac that Andrew had informed her of her pregnancy, and since Andrew died she had been keeping tabs on Mac. She tried to get there as soon possible when she heard the news that her granddaughter was born. Leona however wasn't aware yet of Olivia terminal illness. Leona asked if she could see her granddaughter so Mac first informed Leona about Olivia's cancer. When Leona finally saw her granddaughter she couldn't help but to cry. She cried because of what the little girl was going through and what she would have to go through for a long time. She also cried because this was her son's daughter and her son was gone, and there was a chance Olivia could be too. Leona spent the next few days at the hospital with Mac and Olivia. She could see that Mac was having a very difficult time holding it together. Any mother who had a daughter that they love and had to watch them go through what Olivia was going through would be difficult to watch. Mac was, in a way, was still a child herself. She had her entire life ahead of her, but now she had to make the sacrifice and put everything that she had wanted to do on hold and focus on getting her daughter through this terrible illness. Mac knew she would have to make sacrifices when she found out she was pregnant, but she never imagined anything like this; no mother really does. So Leona made her an offer. The day and the moment where Mac was at her worst and was just about to break, Leona ushered her out of Olivia's room and brought her somewhere private. Leona told Mac it was clear that she loved Olivia and that she would do anything for her and do what is best for her. She told Mac that she was young and she shouldn't have to go through what she was going through; she should be able to go to school, graduate, fall in love and start her career. Leona offered to make all that happen for Mac. She told Mac that those were the things Mac should be doing and she didn't seem like she was emotionally strong right now. Olivia deserved the best doctors and the best care possible and Leona said she would do anything to make that happen because she had the power and she knew Mac did not. Leona gave Mac her word that Olivia would get all that she needed to live, and all Mac had to do was go live her life like she had planned before she got pregnant. No one besides the two of them knew about Mac being Olivia's mother and no one would have to know. Mac of course fought Leona and she knew that she had no right but her strength was getting weaker. Mac was Olivia's mother and she would love that little girl until her dying day. Mac had promised her daughter the day she was born that she would always do what was best for her and deep down she thought that that was for her to go with Leona and get the best care possible even though she couldn't be there for her. Mac reluctantly agreed to Leona's terms and the next day was the day Mac would never forget. That was the day when her daughter was transported to Boston's Children's Hospital in the States, and where she was transported out of her life. That was the day where Mac lost a big part of her heart. _


End file.
